This is a summary of a longer study called Towards a Global Indicator on Unidentified Victims in Child Sexual Exploitation Material, published by ECPAT International and INTERPOL in February 2018. The study was financed by the European Union and carried out between 2016 and 2018 under the title International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) Database Connectivity and Awareness Raising Enhancements (I-CARE) Project. It was based on quantitative and qualitative analysis and conducted in two parts:

The first part of the study was an analysis of information recorded for more than 1 million media files of child sexual exploitation and abuse material in the International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) Database. Almost 47 percent of the files in the database portray child victims that have been identified by law enforcement, while the remainder depict unidentified children. 800 series of videos and images stored in the database were randomly selected for more detailed visual examination.

The second part of the study involved consultations with law enforcement personnel and experts in child sexual exploitation around the world.